The Werewolf-Apocalypse Picture

Just before I left, to France, I made a drawing called, the Werewolf-Apocalypse, or something like that. To tell you the truth I haven't yet figured out how I would entitle the drawing. But a title is always better then no title I guess.

The drawing is based on Dutch folk believes concerning werewolves. In Holland, unlike some other countries, the werewolf was strictly related to the devil (there were a few exceptions that I know of but this was the general belief amonsgt people). Only by complex rituals, in which the devil usually got invoked, one could gain the capacity of transforming itself into a wolf. About these rituals I will tell you all later when I have finished my second drawing relating to this subject.

Because of its close connection with the devil you can see demons 'leading' the pack of wolves in my drawing. Another Dutch folk belief I read about tells werewolves can't enter buildings, especial churches, which were safe havens. It was said that in Heteren, a small village in the Dutch province of Gelderland, it was quite common that these beasts used to pass the houses at night and could do nothing but stare, with their red fiery eyes, across (what we call in Holland) the "onder-deur" (literally translated 'under door'). This was a specific kind of door often seen at farmhouses which existed out of two separated parts. Often the lower part remained closed while the upper part of the door was left open. I'm not sure if I am being clear but here you can view an example of such door: [link]

If you were on the road and there wasn't a building near to keep you save you could simply draw a line on the ground with a stick and say : "Als je van God bent, kom dan nader!" translated: 'If your from God, aproach!' In which case the werewolf could not cross the line or would run away out of fear for hearing God's name. This is just one way to keep these creatures away, there are of course many more methods to achieve the same.

If these creatures were so easily to scare away, it makes you wonder why people were that afraid..... Maybe it was because they told each other werewolves killed entire floks of cattle and this would of course have been a great loss.

Based on these believes, and some other legends I found about werewolves terrorizing local villages and there people, I made this drawing. I find the whole subject to be most intriguing so I do intend to make more drawings in the near future .

But for now I will have to try and catch up with everything before starting on a 'new project'!